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This paper is a continuing exploration into facilities management (FM) strategy through the arrangement of its decision choices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the existence of FM operation strategy and to add empirical evidence to this subject to the field of FM and property management. Its main objectives are to gain insights into the arrangement of the FM strategic choices in operation and its relationship with business strategy.

The study investigated the configurations of operational approaches and activities that should reflect strategic decisions. The investigation was undertaken through a study of four reputed shopping malls located in Bangkok. The relevant data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the key FM persons of each case study, plus archival document searches, and observations of operational processes. Subsequently, the data were examined in a cross-case analysis to identify the key patterns of relationships between the FM operational arrangements and the business strategy of the mall.

This study found that the functional scheme of FM adopted in operations was deliberately related to the needs of business strategy and the operations of the given shopping mall. A range of strategic choices for FM operations was also found. Certain choices are shared among the case studies, while their arrangements varied according to the particular business strategy and context.

The number of case studies was rather limited, while the results were predominantly involved with a single type of facility.

The study identified the pattern of strategic choices entailed in the FM operations in shopping malls. The findings add to the understanding on FM strategy by widening the perspectives about the strategic choices of FM operations and how they are connected with the business strategy and operation model of retail estate. It adds empirical evidence and case studies regarding FM operations and its strategic features.

Cross-boundary cooperation with shared goals and values involving the poor has been argued as an indispensable means for inclusive business (IB) success. Cooperation may become dynamic, especially when exploratory and creative attempts with effective cooperative learning among partners can be realized. Even so, not many companies have reported successful in building the cooperation. One case, providing clean, affordable drinking water to the poor in Tanzanian rural villages, suggests that a delegated and grassroots-based approach in cooperation with a highly trustworthy local partner can successfully promote cooperative learning and transfer know-how in both operations and management. This approach also stimulates local and self-initiated activities for expanding water facilities and generating local businesses in an area where employment is scarce. Deviation from mainstream-institution-based operations and management is one example of institutional interconnections that enable the rural poor to self-manage projects and stimulate self-initiated business activities, consequently contributing to rural development and sustainable development goals.

Increasing emphasis is being placed on integrated thinking in business decision making. Part of that emphasis requires a better understanding of the basic concepts that are used to add value to products and services that are consumed in the channel system. Presents a conceptualization which can be used to integrate concepts from production/operations management and logistics management for the purpose of understanding the linkages that exist between these two applied disciplines. The conceptual structure is based on an understanding of the management of capacity and movement at both the firm and channel levels which can help the academic and practitioner view the commonalities between their responsibilities and those of other channel members.

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of an office canteen layout on operations, specifically on customer behaviour before checkout, waiting times, and congestion.

The current study was made in the context of discovery and exemplification. The sample was not randomly obtained: the method of recruitment was purposive and convenient. Two Dutch office canteens were selected based on their motivation to participate in the study. A small exploratory study aiming to report on current practices and to inform on possibilities for future research and intervention. With direct observations the behaviour, waiting times, and congestion of 47 customers were analyzed. Customer behaviour was reported qualitatively, waiting times and congestion were reported quantitatively.

Canteens where customers can move freely before checkout queue, allow them to move away from congestion towards food products and to have more favourable waiting times than customers in canteens with layouts requiring a strict order and line‐up for self‐service and checkout.

The results contribute to the managerial repertoire of facilities managers by illuminating latent positive influences of facility layout on operations, which can stimulate the design of better facilities.

This paper contributes to the understanding of how facilities are interwoven with operations. It also informs on possibilities for future research in this area, for instance, combining approaches that originate from facilities management and operations management. This may lead to future research to recommend specific designs or behaviour‐inducing layouts for increased operational enhancements.

Building information modelling (BIM) is a novel technological advancement in the built environment. Despite the potentials of BIM, its adoption and implementation are undermined in facility management (FM) operations. This might be because of limited information on the critical success factors (CSFs) that can enhance its adoption. The study aims to integrate building information modelling to improve facility management operation by adopting fuzzy synthetic approach for evaluating the critical success factors.

Data for the study were sourced from practising and registered facility managers within Lagos metropolis, Nigeria. The data collected were analysed using a combination of methods which include mean item score, factor analysis and fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE).

The factor analysis results showed that six underlying groups of CSFs would enhance the effective adoption of BIM in facility operations. The FSE results showed that out of the six groups, the three topmost important CSF grouping (CSFG) in the decision rule would enhance the effectiveness of BIM adoption for FM operations.

The result of this study provides a credible road map for facility managers, policymakers and other stakeholders in FM operations on the CSFs and CSFG required for the adoption of BIM.

Previous studies that aimed at integrating BIM into FM are limited. Hence, this study provides a broad perspective on the CSF required for BIM adoption and implementation in FM operations using the FSE approach.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of K-12 indirect facility maintenance and operation expense spending in Arizona and how the prioritization of work enables academic performance.

Data were collected from more than 200 academic districts over a five-year period to measure the correlation between plant maintenance and operations and academic outcomes. A qualitative analysis provided an in-depth understanding of how routine work is prioritized.

Results of the correlative model indicate that no positive relationship exists between academic performance and facility expense spending within the sample population. The lack of a positive correlation may be a result, in whole or in part, of many variables. The qualitative analysis, however, provided a more in-depth understanding of how academic districts manage educational facilities and how the prioritization of work may factor into a correlation.

This paper addresses the link between academic performance, expressed in terms of a return-on-assets, and facility management. The contribution of this paper is the documentation of facility maintenance and operations organizational structures to include the method of prioritizing routine work and the process of indirect expense spending in support of K-12 public education in the state of Arizona.

Corporate environmental benchmarking is difficult with the range and inconsistency of environmental information available, even from facilities within the same firm. Environmental management systems can assist firms in organizing internal corporate benchmarking efforts. They attempt to capture environmental impacts from activities throughout a facility under a single system and generally follow traditional benchmarking cycles of plan, do, check, and act. However, the systems lack important features that enable benchmarking. Based on a critical analysis of environmental management systems, the article recommends minor changes to extend environmental management systems for corporate environmental benchmarking. Consistent goals should be encouraged at all facilities to produce common metrics. Procedures should require data collection and reporting to a central office. Management review should monitor performance and determine where leading facilities can transfer better processes to lagging facilities.

Recent advances in computing have led to major developments in the facilities available for simulating the behaviour of manufacturing systems. Animation facilities on microcomputers provides scope for the use of simulation to facilitate the learning process associated with operations management. The use of simulation is explored to teach aspects of plant design and operations control. Animated simulation models can make a major contribution to the teaching of operations management, especially for students with limited knowledge of real‐life manufacturing environments.

This study aims to develop a Facilities technology management framework for public health-care institutions in a developing country.

The study used descriptive research design to identify the specifications of the framework via strategic initiatives anchored on efficiency, sustainability, ecological-friendliness and technological innovation. These measures are wrapped into a facilities TM framework which incorporates concepts and practices on risk management, facility management (FM) and TM.

Results of the survey of the public HCIs in the Philippines, show high levels of acceptability of proposed measures which identify the technologies, innovations and materials which are in the viable context of public hospital circumstances in the country.

The findings of this study are limited to the public HCIs in a developing country, and thus cannot be generalized to other HCIs particularly the private institutions.

The framework seeks to help improve the operational efficiency and sustainability of public HCIs in a developing country like the Philippines. The discussions on TM revolve around the application of TM approaches. Also, the study incorporates discussions on sustainability, technology innovation and the conformity of these with HCI standards, best practices and government requirements.

The study takes into consideration the identification of FM principles and practices that are deemed suitable and applicable for public HCIs in a developing country. This study is intended to develop a TM framework for FM services which is cost-effective but not sacrificing safety, security, employees and the environment. Then the foremost consideration is the perceived suitability of the framework in the public HCI environment.

This is an original study. It has as its scope the fusion of FM and TM approaches that would help in the identification of challenges, requirements for manpower, processes and technologies (especially, information and communications technolog-based technologies), and a corresponding TM system framework for public HCI facilities in a developing country.

The international nuclear community continues to face the challenge of managing both the legacy waste and the new wastes that emerge from ongoing energy production. The UK is in the early stages of proposing a new convention for its nuclear industry, that is: waste minimisation through closely managing the radioactive source which creates the waste. This paper proposes a new technique (called waste and source material operability study (WASOP)) to qualitatively analyse a complex, waste‐producing system to minimise avoidable waste and thus increase the protection to the public and the environment.

WASOP critically considers the systemic impact of up and downstream facilities on the minimisation of nuclear waste in a facility. Based on the principles of HAZOP, the technique structures managers' thinking on the impact of mal‐operations in interlinking facilities in order to identify preventative actions to reduce the impact on waste production of those mal‐operations.'

WASOP was tested with a small group of experienced nuclear regulators and was found to support their qualitative examination of waste minimisation and help them to work towards developing a plan of action.

Given the newness of this convention, the wider methodology in which WASOP sits is still in development. However, this paper communicates the latest thinking from nuclear regulators on decision‐making methodology for supporting waste minimisation and is hoped to form part of future regulatory guidance. WASOP is believed to have widespread potential application to the minimisation of many other forms of waste, including that from other energy sectors and household/general waste.